Midlife Loves

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Key Accessories For Summer & My Outfit Of The Day

30 April 2014

Accessories for me are always a great way of breathing new life into my wardrobe & incorporating & trying new trends. As a rule I generally don't wear many patterned pieces of clothing (well excluding my beloved leopard print of course!!) so find that a splash of colour or different texture in my accessories is the best way of incorporating a bit of interest to classic pieces & giving an outfit a completely different look & feel.

I was recently allowed by Next to choose a couple of items to review on the blog & while the temptation was great to choose some of their gorgeous clothing I was drawn immediately to their accessories, they have some amazing pieces in at reasonable prices, which is perfect for trying out a new trend.

So after lots of hours spend drooling at their summer collection I eventually chose my two pieces. The first item being this clutch bag that I've previously featured on the blog. I seem to be having a bit of a clutch-athon in the past few months & am loving swapping my heavy tote bags full of everything bar the kitchen sink for a colourful clutch that contains the items I need for the day ahead & is a joy to carry rather than lug around a massiiiive bag that eventually gives me backache.

So which clutch did I decide on? Well it was the Soft Cuff Clutch that is 100% leather outer with 100% polyester lining & whilst it sadly doesn't contain a detachable strap to enable it to be worn across the body it does have a handy cuff which can be detached if you want a full on clutch bag but is great for a daytime look & handy if you find yourself (probably just me) with an armful of clothes staggering towards a changing room!!! Plus it's the perfect size to fit all the essentials in (20cm x 27cm x 2cm) & has an inner middle zip section for valuables & quick press stud closure.

My only problem was choosing which colour as I could quite easily have picked all four colours but in the end I decided to go for cobalt blue as I don't have a bag of any shape or style in this colour plus its one of my favourite shades of blue.

The other item I picked was a complete no brainer.....I'd been eyeing up the various pointy slingbacks that seem to be everywhere at the moment & as soon as I saw these beauties (a fraction of the price of the likes of the Boden ones, which are extremely similar) I knew that there was no decision to make. Can you believe I didn't own a pair of silver shoes, which having fully embraced the gold metallic trend was only a matter of time as either gold or silver accessories literally go with everything in your wardrobe (perfect for capsule holiday packing) & I can't wait to team them with my white jeans.

I will admit that I was a little hesitant at trying any pointed flat style shoe, not because I don't love the style - I do, but because I have quite a wide foot & was concerned the style would be uncomfortable to wear - personally I won't wear shoes that pinch & are too tight as it just puts me in a bad mood & I hate sore feet. Luckily for me these Next shoes are super comfy & stay on my heels too (another concern I had with the slingback style) but you can easily adjust the strap to fit your foot & despite only being leather on the inner & sock of the shoe they really are very soft & comfortable to wear. So much so I'm extremely tempted to click the button on the other two colours they do in the same style as for the price you really wouldn't find a better shoe. Size wise I would advise ordering your normal shoe size, in that past I have found with Next that I've had to go down a half size but for these (& the pair of block heels I brought in March) I've found my normal size to fit perfectly.

So what do you think? Are you a lover of a clutch after years of lugging around a Mary Poppins kind of bag? Perhaps you've been thinking of trying the pointed flat trend but had concerns on comfort, like me? I'd love to hear if you've embraced these trends & how you wear yours. And if you are tempted you REALLY do have to give these a try.....you won't be disappointed & just think for the price compared to others out there you could treat yourself to a couple of pairs & not feel guilty ;-) happy days!

It tried those shoes on but alas, they were uncomfortable for me around the top of the foot. I have big feet and always get problems with shoes being too 'low cut' on me! I love the clutch you chose too, that blue colour is fab.

Do you live in a 1930's house? I love your doorway. We've bought a 1930's place and are doing it up, so I'm always curious as to what other people do with theirs! P x

Oh no that's such a pity Porcelina as they're really comfy on me! And yes house is late 1920's/early 1930's - good luck with the renovations - hard work as we know from when we did outs but so worth it in the end :-)Jane xx

I love looking through blog posts and seeing items that makes me go 'ooooo'. It was the silver pointy sling backs that did it. They are wonderful, and they look absolutely brilliant in your outfit picture. :0)Paul

Two amazing pieces Jane and I can't believe how much the shoes are like the Boden ones I have! The clutch doesn't look dark enough to go with my dress for the wedding, which is a shame as I want quite a large one, I will need a lot of tissues in it and of course my phone to keep you all updated with snaps throughout the day! x